Passion's Poison: Love's Betrayal

"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." is the only thing I make sense of in the spur of the moment as I try to remember how I got to this moment. four months ago, my parents informed me of my arranged marriage and I had no choice in it, I barely put up a fight because I had no fight left in me. I don't see my family around and I don't have the will to look around for them. I finally breath in the safety of the tinted car. I blink the tears in my eyes away, the path I'm headed is scary and hope is the only thing I'm taking with me on this journey. My future husband barely looks at me, I have a feeling it goes beyond him not just liking me. I look out the window instead till the sight of our wedding guests disappears. Reid disappears the moment we get to his mansion, the maids show me in and I get settled. I wake up the next morning in an unknown surrounding and it takes me a minute to realize I'm now in my husband's house. A maid comes to lead me to breakfast, my room is fit for a princess, and his mansion a palace, I could get lost here. I see my husband at breakfast. After a long silence, he speaks. "You are my wife only by name. I married you only because my father demanded it. You are nothing to me and you will remain so for the entirety of this charade of a marriage." he looks livid saying it and every bit of his words breaks my heart, he stands to leave but I hold on to his hand. "F-friendship, it's all I ask, we don't have to love each other." I scramble to find words. "we don't even have to be friends, we can be just casual." I plead, my hopes shattering. "How can I be friends with a woman I can barely stand to look at." he says roughly snatching his hand from my hold. I spend half of my day, looking round the house with a broken heart with Lily, the young help. I now know Reid's room is just at the end of the hallway across from mine. I don't see my husband for a whole month after our marriage, my mother invited me back home for dinner. I don't miss home and I don't want to go back there, but I would get to see my little sister Leah, I don't know how to explain not knowing my husband's whereabouts. "Aria!!!!" Leah screams running down the stairs the moment I step through the front doors of my father's house. A big smile occupies my face as I hug my little sister and kiss her all over her face. "ewwww." she complains scrunching up her face "ohh, stop denying you don't love it anytime I do that." "I don't, Ari, it's disgusting," she tells me smiling. "I missed you very much" she tells me, hugging me again. "I missed you very much too" I tell her, rubbing a comforting hand on her back, pushing her hair behind her ears, the sound of throat clearing interrupts our moments. I looked up to find our parents standing at the foot of the stairs. "Where's your husband?" is the first thing my mother asks me, not how are doing, not how are you coping with your new life. "Uhh, he's out on a business trip, he apologizes for missing dinner mother." I lie through my teeth, feeling my heart clench. "With time you will learn to hold a firm grip on your husband Aria." my mother says glaring at me and walking towards the dining table where we all sit. "He should be able to cancel any business for family, right hunny?" she looks to my father for confirmation and I internally scoff. "In due time, my dear, when she begins to produce heirs for him and his family, he will come to his senses." my father says, eyeing me and I turn red. They talk about me like I'm some sort of sheep and not present here with them. Leah eats quietly beside us and avoids our parents attention, to have their attention on you never brings anything good. "where's Isabella?" I ask cautiously when I don't see my older sister anywhere around. "Out God knows where." my mother after clearing her throat, Isabella has always been a spoiled brat, it's better to avoid her, so I'm happy she's not at dinner, one trouble out of my hands at least, the last time I saw her didn't end well. "you should learn to control your daughter, whenever she's out, she always ends up tainting our family name one way or the other," my father glares at my father. "what do you mean learn to control my daughter, if you knew how to control her, she wouldn't be this way either." my mom flares up at the attack. Oh God not now please, my dad fumes and stands abruptly knocking his chair on the floor, grits his teeth and then walks out. my mom does the same after turning to glare at me. "you did that on purpose, didn't you?" my mouth is almost hanging open out of confusion. "no, mo-mom, w-why would I do something like that?" I stutter in surprise. "yes you did, your ungrateful child." she accuses sneering at me before leaving. Oh God, I'm supposed to be used to this but it's still startling everytime. "Forget about it Ari," Leah giggles as I try to get over my shock, "at least dinner ended quickly," "don't say that Leah." I try to scold her but end up laughing with her too, we both bid each other a tearful goodbye. Leah is different from most teenagers, at 15, she's managed to keep her head floating in our toxic family, she's calm and sweet and understanding, she has a beautiful heart.